


Guardian and Angel

by PsychoGeek



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Rescue, Zombies, farm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 02:10:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoGeek/pseuds/PsychoGeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He became her guardian; she became his angel. When Daryl saves a young woman's life, the two begin to form a bond. But will it survive the up-and-downs of this walker-ridden world...? Daryl/OC, Daryl-centric, but other characters will appear. Rated T for violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided to start Walking Dead fic...yes, I did. :) It will be Daryl-centric, but most of the main characters will show up. I'm starting out in the 2nd season, but I'll figure out exactly where within a couple of chapters. This chapter is more of a prologue/test run to see how readers will react... :D I have a cover that I made, but I can't seem to get it uploaded...I'll try again later.
> 
> Also, Sage's faceclaim is Jaimie Alexander, so if you want to look her up, that'll give you a better mental picture of Sage.
> 
> Disclaimer: This is just a fic; I do not own The Walking Dead or Daryl or anyone else that you recognize. All I own is Sage...and the plot mostly. :)

"Go," Rick ordered. "I'll cover you..."

Daryl nodded and the two men exited the pickup truck, turning sharply at any sound. A walker loomed behind them, but Rick took it out with a bullet. Daryl sped toward the abandoned pharmacy, stopping briefly to kick in the door. He walked into the front room of the building, with Rick right behind him.

"According to Hershel, the medicine should be somewhere in here," Rick said.

"Yeah, if nobody looted the place," Daryl grunted.

Rick jumped the counter and began to study the medicine bottles, as Daryl wandered around the pharmacy.

A sound came from the back room, and Daryl moved quickly to the door, scanning in every direction before he went in. There was a groan, followed by the guttural growl that could only be a walker. Daryl followed the sound to the back of room and crept forward, crouching low to the floor. He saw two walkers and quickly dispatched them each with an arrow. He froze when he heard another groan. As he looked around the room, he suddenly saw what the walkers had been approaching, and where the scream had come from.

A young woman was pinned under a section of the wall...

She was covered in dust, and struggling against the wood that held her to the floor. She glanced up at Daryl, silently imploring him to help. Something about this young woman touched the protective side to Daryl, and he knelt down beside her, taking ahold of the wood section.

"Easy," he said in a low voice. "When I lift this, you crawl out..."

The young woman nodded and Daryl lifted the section, grunting slightly with the effort. The young woman scrambled out from under the section and Daryl let it fall. He stood and faced the young woman, sizing her up as they kept their distance.

She was only a couple inches shorter than Daryl, with a slightly-curvy, athletic figure and flashing hazel eyes. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a loose braid, with several strands falling loose to curve around her angular face. Her jeans and t-shirt were covered with dust and grime, and both a Glock and a hunting knife were hanging from her belt.

"Thanks..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked. "What's your name?"

"Sage," she replied. "Yours?"

"Daryl," he mumbled. "They didn't bite ya, did they?"

Sage shook her head and brushed off her clothes.

"Who're you here with?" Daryl continued.

"No one...I'm on my own, now..."

Daryl was about to reply when Rick's voice boomed from the doorway.

"Who's she?" he asked, eyeing Sage.

"Sage Mason," she introduced, stepping up to Rick and holding out her hand. "Your friend just saved my life..."

Rick shook her outstretched hand, and glanced at Daryl, who gave him a small nod.

"She's out here on her own," Daryl said lowly, his gaze flickering between Rick and Sage..

"We can't leave her here, that's for sure," Rick replied. "But we can't just bring her back to the farm, not without knowing anything about her..."

As he spoke, Rick flailed his hand. And Sage flinched, ever-so-slightly...

But Daryl saw it.

He saw Sage wince and take a small step back. True, she was probably just in shock and scared. But there was something more, something in her reaction that Daryl recognized. Something that he had seen in himself growing up...

"I'm not going to hurt anybody," Sage spoke up. "I'm not infected..."

"We can't leave her here," Daryl said firmly. "Walkers'll find her soon as we leave."

"Okay," Rick sighed. "But if you cause any trouble-"

"I won't," Sage promised.

Rick took a deep breath and nodded. The young woman was obviously desperate to get out of the ghost town...

"We got what we need," he said. "Let's get back to the farm."

Rick walked out of the room, leaving Daryl and Sage alone. She cleared her throat and gave Daryl a small smile.

"Thanks again," she said, a hint of a southern accent in her voice. "I swear I won't make any trouble..."

"Just come on," he shrugged. "Pickup's outside..."

Sage followed Daryl out of the pharmacy. When they reached the pickup, she climbed into the back, and Daryl glanced at Rick before following her into the back. Rick started the engine and and the truck pulled down the road.

Sage felt a surge of relief as they left the town behind, but she had to remind herself that she was with two men that she knew nothing about. If they wanted, they could stop and at time and kill her, or worse...

"So, what were you doin' in there?" Daryl asked

"Lookin' for medicine, same as you," the brunette replied. "I was checking the back, when part of the wall caved in. I was stuck for probably half an hour when those walkers showed up..." she let out a nervous laugh before continuing, "I thought I was gonna die...then you showed up."

Daryl nodded.

"What about you?" Sage looked at him. "I know you were there for medicine, but why? Someone hurt?"

"Yeah, a little boy," Daryl mumbled. "Got shot..."

Sage frowned and looked away. She watched the passing scenery for a minute, before turning back to Daryl. His features had been hardened by rough living, but she could still see a softness under the surface. He was somewhat relaxed, facing toward the back of the pickup, but his light green eyes were alert and seemed to catch every detail. Sage wondered if he ever truly relaxed...

"Got somethin' on your mind?" Daryl's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You been starin' at me for the past five minutes."

Sage felt her face begin to burn and she knew she was turning red. She really hadn't meant to stare...

"Just tryin' to figure you out," she admitted.

"Ain't really nothin' to figure out," Daryl grunted. "And trust me, you don't wanna know about me..."

Sage leaned back and let Daryl's words sink in. Maybe he was right and she should just let it go...but still, her curiosity was piqued.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk at Sage's curiosity...he even found it slightly complementary. He himself was curious, about where she came from, who she'd been with...

He shook those thoughts from his head; he knew almost nothing about this girl, and he certainly didn't need or want to know any more...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is... What did you think? :) I love comments, so please leave one when you've finished reading! xD If you've got any suggestions as to how I could make this fic better, feel free to let me know.
> 
> One last thing: I know a lot of Daryl/OC fics tend to make Carol out as a bad guy or an obstacle to their relationship. While I don't mind those kind of fics, this won't be one of them; I plan on keeping Carol as more of a maternal figure for Sage, and she won't really have any jealousy issues. :)
> 
> Kristy :3


	2. Meeting The Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He became her guardian; she became his angel. When Daryl saves a young woman's life, the two begin to form a bond. But will it survive the up-and-downs of this walker-ridden world...? Daryl/OC, Daryl-centric, but other characters will appear. Rated T for violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, an update! However, I must warn you that I might not always be able to update this quickly, so please be patient with me and this fic. I've got several ideas for the next chapter, but I've still got to sort them out. :)

As the pickup pulled into the dirt driveway, Sage sat up to take in the new surroundings. She glanced around and sat back with a small smile. Daryl raised an inquiring eyebrow at the brunette.

"This is the Greene farm," she said.

"Yeah, and?" Daryl asked.

"I've seen it from a distance," Sage continued with a small shrug. "Always wondered what it was like up close..."

"Well, you can find out for yourself," Daryl said.

The pickup pulled up to the house and Rick shut the engine off. He darted out of the cab and into the house without a word, leaving Daryl and Sage alone again.

"Guess I'd better meet the group?" Sage asked, the uncertainty creeping into her voice.

"Guess you better," Daryl mumbled.

Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, he hopped out of the back of the pickup and waited for Sage to do the same. She followed him up the steps, but stopped before they reached the door. Daryl turned to her and crossed his arms.

"Maybe I should wait a while..." Sage chewed on her lower lip. "I mean, if you've got a wounded little boy in there, I don't know how your group might react to a complete stranger bargin' in-"

"You ain't barging," Daryl interrupted. "We brought ya here, didn't we?"

Sage didn't reply. She wanted to go in, she wanted to be part of a group, but still...what if they didn't like her? What if they decided to send her back to the town?

"Just go on in," Daryl sighed. "Ain't nobody gonna hurt ya, I swear..."

Sage took a deep breath and nodded. Daryl gave her a slight smile and opened the door. He motioned for her to follow him, and she did. He led her to the room where Carl was kept. Rick stood up from his chair and nodded at Sage.

"Hey," he acknowledged. "I'm Rick, and this is my wife, Lori, and my son, Carl."

"Hi," Sage smiled, ignoring the anxiety. "I'm Sage."

"Rick told us about you," Lori leaned forward and held out her hand. "I'm glad they brought you back."

As Sage shook Lori's hand, her gaze drifted to the bed and the older man standing next to it.

"This is Hershel Greene," Rick introduced. "He owns this farm."

Hershel gave Sage a small nod before continuing his work on Carl.

"Daryl, would you show Sage around?" Rick asked. "Introduce her to the rest of the group?"

"Sure," Daryl replied. "Come on..."

He jerked his head at Sage and walked out of the room. She gulped and followed him, saying a silent prayer that the group would accept her.

* * *

Rick looked around the group. Maggie, Beth and Patricia were with Hershel in the kitchen, but the rest of the group was crowded into the living room. Shane was on the couch, in between Glenn and T-Dog, while Dale and Carol leaned against the nearby wall and Andrea sat on the piano bench. Lori was still upstairs with Carl, but she had already shared her opinion with Rick. Daryl leaned against the front door, glancing out the window every couple minutes to make sure Sage was still sitting on the porch.

Sage had been introduced to the whole group, and they were now deciding on whether or not to allow her to stay.

"She seems like a sweet young woman," Carol spoke up.

"I like her," Dale added.

"I've got no problem with her," Andrea agreed.

"She's not dangerous," Glenn said.

"Shane? T-Dog?" Rick looked at the two men, who gave him a nod of approval.

"So, we're all agreed?" Daryl asked.

"Bring her in," Rick replied.

Daryl slid out the front door, and returned moments later, Sage by his side. Rick motioned for her to come further into the room and she did, walking slowly into the middle of the living room. She glanced around at the group before turning her attention back to Rick.

"If you stay here, you become one of us," he began. "You work with us; you do your part. We'll care for you like one of our own, but any hint that you're going to turn on us, you're outta here. Deal?"

Sage was speechless. They were actually accepting her, letting her join them...

"Uh, deal," she finally stuttered out. "Thank you..."

* * *

Sage walked toward the camp site. Glenn and Maggie were talking as she approached them, but they turned to each give her a small smile.

"Hey, can I ask you guys a favor?" Sage asked. "If you can't do it, I completely understand... I mean, you don't really know me, I don't know you-"

"Whatcha need?" Maggie interrupted, a smirk tugging at the edges of her mouth.

"I heard you two have to make a run back into town," Sage continued. "I know this is a lot to ask, but can you swing by the old liquor store? I was camping there, and my bag is still there...I know I should've grabbed it this morning, but I guess I wasn't thinking..."

"Sure," Glenn shrugged. "What's it look like?"

"Small, leather backpack," Sage replied. "My denim jacket should be tied to it."

"We'll find it," Maggie smiled.

"Thanks," Sage said.

"No problem," Glenn assured.

Sage left the two to continue their conversation, and slowly walked over to the laundry line where Carol sat, sorting through the baskets. The older woman saw Sage coming and waved.

"Hi," the brunette greeted. "Need some help?"

"I'd love some," Carol replied. "I'm trying to keep the colors separated as I hang them up..."

Sage nodded and took a basket. The two women worked for a few minutes, until Sage broke the silence.

"So, do you have any family?" she asked.

"A daughter," Carol sighed. "She went missing a few days ago, but we're still looking."

"I'm so sorry," Sage closed her eyes as she added, "I feel like an idiot now."

"Don't..." the older woman shook her head. "We'll find her. God's watching out for her..." When Sage didn't reply, she added, "Are you a believer?"

"I am," Sage replied. "It's just hard sometimes..."

Carol slid an arm around Sage's shoulders, and gave her a quick hug before moving on to a new basket.

* * *

Daryl sat on the edge of the old fireplace, thoughts racing through his mind as he carved out another arrow. He kept thinking about Sage, replaying her actions in his mind, and trying to figure her out. He cursed himself for wanting to know more, but he couldn't help it; she was a mystery to him...

"I can hear you back there," Daryl mumbled.

Sage walked into his view, a sheepish smile on her face. She sat on the other end of the old fireplace, and stared out at the field.

"Thanks for saving my life this morning," the brunette spoke up.

"Somethin' anyone woulda done..." Daryl shrugged.

"You don't take complements well, do ya?" Sage chuckled.

Daryl felt the tips of his ears begin to burn as he glanced up at Sage. Why was she getting such a reaction out of him...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there wasn't much Daryl/Sage interaction, but I'll try to get some in the next couple chapters. I don't want to go too fast, but I don't want to take it super slow either. I also want to let Sage and Carol interact and build a friendship. One more thing, I think this is starting around the time of Cherokee Rose or maybe right before...
> 
> I love comments and constructive criticism, so feel free to let me know what you though.
> 
> Kristy :3


End file.
